the.com/sweet william
A flower named after either a war hero or a butcher, depending on who's angry.
means A garden flower (Dianthus barbatus) with clusters of fringed, often bicolored blooms in shades of pink, red, and white, prized for its sweet, spicy scent.
from The 'william' has been a happy battleground for centuries. English tradition links it to a real William — popular candidates include Saint William of York or, more famously, William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, the 18th-century military commander whose admirers may have named the bloom in his honor. His detractors, especially in Scotland after the bloody aftermath of Culloden, preferred to call the same plant 'Stinking Billy,' turning a sweet name sour out of spite. Some etymologists suspect the 'william' may actually be a folk reshaping of an older word — possibly from the French 'oeillet' (little eye, a name for the pink) — with the human name grafted on later. Whatever the truth, 'sweet' simply nods to its fragrance.
- two namesakes
- English love it for a duke, Scots curse a slaughterer
- clove cousin
- Belongs to the carnation family, spices the scent
- edible petals
- Flowers are safe to toss in salads
- biennial habit
- Often blooms in its second year, then dies
- butterfly magnet
- Clustered blooms feed bees and hummingbirds alike
sweet william flower — dianthus barbatus species, cultivated ornamental with clustered pink, red, or white blooms since the 16th century
sweet william rum — caribbean spiced rum brand from grenada, named after pirate henry morgan's ship